Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kona are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kona’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kona and the Renegade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Kona is 3.8% to 9.2% less likely to roll over than the Renegade.

The Kona comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Renegade’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Renegade. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Renegade ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Renegade’s (7 vs. 5 years).

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kona has a standard 640-amp battery. The Renegade’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 14 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Jeep.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

The Kona N Line/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 18 more horsepower (195 vs. 177) than the Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the Renegade:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Kona uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Kona has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Kona offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Renegade doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Kona stops much shorter than the Renegade:

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Renegade’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona has variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Renegade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Kona’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Renegade (102.4 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Kona is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Renegade.

The Kona SEL AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Renegade Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Kona’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Renegade’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

The design of the Hyundai Kona amounts to more than styling. The Kona has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Renegade (.36 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Kona get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Kona has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The Kona has .3 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear hip room than the Renegade.

The front step up height for the Kona is 3.4 inches lower than the Renegade (16” vs. 19.4”). The Kona’s rear step up height is 3.5 inches lower than the Renegade’s (16.1” vs. 19.6”).

The Kona has a larger cargo volume than the Renegade with its rear seat up (19.2 vs. 18.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kona easier. The Kona’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.5 inches, while the Renegade’s liftover is 30.2 inches.

The Kona’s cargo area is larger than the Renegade’s in almost every dimension:

The Kona has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Renegade doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Kona’s standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Renegade’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

The Kona has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Renegade only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The Kona has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Kona is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Renegade doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Kona is less expensive to operate than the Renegade because it costs $145 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Kona than the Renegade, including $195 less for front brake pads, $371 less for a starter, $79 less for a fuel pump, $267 less for front struts and $84 less for a timing belt/chain.

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The Renegade has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue, and the Renegade has only been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Kona as the 2019 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Renegade has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Jeep Renegade by over two to one during 2022.